Brad Biggs: 10 thoughts on the Bears' draft

April 30, 2012|By Brad Biggs, Tribune reporter

8. The Bears talked about the ability of Brandon Hardin, the safety selected in the third round Friday, to hit and how he will impact special teams. That is a first stop for him. But they didn’t use a third-round pick on the Oregon State product to play special teams. That is the first thing they said about Chris Conte when he was selected in the third round a year ago. Conte quickly worked his way off most of teams when he broke into the starting lineup as the free safety. The plan is to work Hardin at strong safety to start with and that means he will push Major Wright, the third-round pick from 2010. Hardin is just the latest safety to be drafted by the Bears, who have chosen one in eight consecutive drafts. Of the seven who came before Hardin, Conte, Al Afalava, Kevin Payne, Danieal Manning and Chris Harris all started as rookies.

9. There has been considerable Internet celebration over the Bears adding offensive lineman James Brown as an undrafted free agent from Troy. Slow down. While the Bears kept five undrafted free agents a year ago, that won’t happen this year. It wasn’t a sign of improved scouting when they did it. It was a sign they had open spots at the bottom of the roster because of poor drafting. ESPN’s Mel Kiper banged the drum for Brown throughout the draft and had him rated as a third-round pick. So, I called a scout I trust and asked him why the Bears and 31 other teams passed on Brown through seven rounds. He explained off-field issues that I won’t get into here because I can’t document it. Maybe Brown pushes for a spot on the practice squad and that would be a good thing. The Bears need a developmental prospect and Mike Tice has done well with projects throughout his career. But Brown is unlikely to solve any issues this season. He played a lot of football at Troy but struggled at the Senior Bowl, another reason his stock fell with teams. He had several offers to sign with other teams and chose the Bears. It’s worth wondering if his agent Bus Cook, who also represents quarterback Jay Cutler, steered him this direction.

10. General manager Phil Emery talked about restructuring the front office and adding additional staff when he was hired. But he said those moves would come after the draft. Expect some movement soon. Sources say Emery likely will promote from within to create the roles of pro personnel director and college scouting director. Then, he would have to add staff to replace those scouts in their current roles. It’s also possible some entry-level scouts will be added to the mix. But the entire staff is coming out of contract, as reported by the Tribune in January. That means assistant director of pro personnel Kevin Turks and pro assistant James Kirkland will be scouting free agents. The same can be said for the six college area scouts: Chris Ballard, Marty Barrett, Rex Hogan, Ted Monago, Mark Sadowski and Jeff Shiver. In the past, the Bears rotated contracts with their college scouts on two-year deals so three were up one year and three were up the next. The club re-signed scouts last May to one-year contracts using the NFL lockout as an excuse.

10 a. What’s in a contract for the 19th pick in the draft? Shea McClellin can expect to work off of close to what New York Giants cornerback Prince Amukamara received last year -- a four-year deal worth $8.1809. It should be noted Amukamara was the last first rounder to sign. There was negotiations over how much of the deal would be guaranteed. He wound up getting the entire first three years and about half of the fourth year guaranteed.

10 b. One scout for a 3-4 team really liked Shea McClellin and it’s been reported the Green Bay Packers and New England Patriots, both 3-4 defenses, were high on him. So, I asked the scout if he sees him as a fit for a 4-3 scheme like the Bears.

“Absolutely, that’s what he played at Boise,” the scout said. “He plays nine and five technique all day long. You can stand him up if you want. If (Rod) Marinelli puts 10 pounds on his butt, he’ll be a base end and be a real (tough player). Now, I thought 19 (overall) was a little rich but I love the pick. With as many teams with 3-4 defenses that coveted the kid, the Bears had to take him there.”

10 c. But what about the offensive line? Iowa’s Riley Reiff was on the board when Shea McClellin was drafted. Could Reiff have been an answer to some of what ails the line? Or are his short arms a problem, particularly if you are thinking about putting him at left tackle?

“I think people had a problem, not so much with his short arms, but more so the size (6-6, 313 pounds),” the scout said. “He’s not a big-framed guy but if you need a left he’s gonna be a serviceable for 10 years or even a right tackle. He’s not a bigger body than the guy the Bears have but I am willing to bet he’s a better football player.”